The present invention relates generally to the field of measuring fluid flow rates. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for testing fluid flow through transmission cooling systems and a transmission cooling system flow tester device.
Many consumer and industrial vehicles use automatic transmissions filled with automatic transmission fluid (ATF) as the working fluid and to aid in cooling the transmission. In typical configurations, automatic transmissions are equipped with a cooling system, such as an oil cooler, that may be located, for instance, inside an automobile radiator. The automatic transmission fluid is cycled through the oil cooler to regulate its temperature and then back into the transmission in order to keep the transmission cool.
The importance of maintaining fresh and clean transmission fluid is essential in keeping the transmission cool. At regular intervals, the automatic transmission fluid should be removed from the transmission and replaced with fresh fluid as the fluid properties degrade with time and in use. Lack of proper service can cause engine problems due to the fact that old ATF may no longer protect against rust or acids that can lead to a breakdown of the metal and aluminum parts in the vehicle""s oil cooler or transmission. Furthermore, entrained contaminants and debris, not fully removed by the transmission""s filter assembly, can clog the oil cooler. The result of which is that proper ATF flow through the oil cooler and to the transmission is prevented. Improper ATF flow can cause the transmission to overheat and produce serious, if not, permanent damage.
Transmission fluid exchanges are often performed in order to replace old transmission fluid with fresh and clean transmission fluid. During the exchange, a transmission may be left running in order to allow the transmission pump to cycle in the new transmission fluid while cycling out the old fluid. However, if there is any blockage, e.g., in the oil cooler, the new transmission fluid will not flow at the proper rate into the transmission, in which case, overheating may occur.
In instances where a transmission is replaced, it is important to test the ATF flow through a reused oil cooler which is reconnected to the new transmission. This is to ensure that no debris from the replaced transmission was transferred into the reconnected oil cooler during its original use. Such debris can prohibit fluid flow to the newly installed transmission once the entire system is reconnected. If fluid flow is prohibited by any debris within the oil cooler, the efficiency of providing thermal dissipation to the circulating fluid is greatly inhibited. Thus, a newly installed transmission will not be properly cooled due to a combination of the lack of fluid it receives from the blocked oil cooler or the improperly maintained temperature regulation of the fluid being received from the cooler. The result, of which, ruins the newly installed transmission due to overheating.
A need still exists, therefore, for an evaluation of fluid flow through the cooling system which identifies whether the fluid is continuously flowing properly. A need further exists for checking fluid flow through the cooling system in order to ensure that additional procedures can be perform on the cooling system in a safe manner and without producing subsequent damage to a connected transmission system due to an unknown blockage.
The foregoing need has been met by the present invention, whereby in one aspect of the invention, a method is provided to test fluid flow through a cooling system. The method includes pressurizing transmission fluid to create fluid flow. A fluid flow rate measurement is ascertained and a determination is made of whether the fluid is flowing at a proper rate.
In another aspect of the invention, a cooling system fluid flow testing device is provided including a means for pressurizing fluid to create a fluid flow. The invention further includes a means for measuring a fluid flow rate and a means for determining whether the fluid is flowing properly.
In another aspect of the invention, a cooling system fluid flow testing apparatus is provided including a fluid supply tank connected to a controlled air pressure system. The supply tank provides fluid to flow through the cooling system as the fluid is pressurized to generate a fluid flow. A flow transducer is utilized to measure the rate of fluid flow and sends the fluid rate measurements to a processor. The processor is further operable to send the fluid rate measurements to a light-emitting diode (LED) display. Additionally, fluid emanating from the cooling system is directed through the apparatus"" fluid return line into a connected waste receptacle tank.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.